In Norway’s fourth largest city Stavanger the site for the world’s longest sub-sea road tunnel is situated, named the Ryfast tunnel project. The project consists of three tunnels and aims to establish a permanent road link between Ryfylke and Jaeren and hopes also to tackle the traffic problems through the northern parts of the city centre.

The Solbakk tunnel is the main tunnel being constructed with a total length of 14km and construction began in August 2013. The two headings being excavated by drill and blast will reach a maximum depth of 290m below sea level (Statens Vegvesen, 2013).

Which characteristics play a definitive role in ensuring optimal hardware/software combinations in the field of tunnel construction?

OSch: Tunnel construction demands high standards when it comes to the robustness of the hardware used and requires ease of operation in relation to the software/hardware. Systems are often operated by miners, meaning the software must automatically carry out a number of process steps and prevent incorrect operation to the greatest extent possible. [Read more …]